


finally

by ptxftstark



Category: Marvel, Steve/Tony - Fandom, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), stevetony - Fandom, stony - Fandom
Genre: Cuddles, Fluff, M/M, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-12
Updated: 2019-10-12
Packaged: 2020-12-09 13:22:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20995493
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ptxftstark/pseuds/ptxftstark
Summary: after all this time, tony finally allows himself to relax around steve. late-night steve tony fluff; steve helps tony feel safe until he can fall asleep soundly.





	finally

‘you do have to come upstairs at some point, you know.’ steve said, a crooked grin on his face. he stood in the doorway of the cold lab, arms crossed over his chest. he always had this look when he came into tony’s lab late at night, sympathetic smile, casual lean against the doorway, inviting and ready to listen.

‘i knew you couldn’t go a second without me. you’re so clingy, rogers.’ even with tony’s blunt tone steve knew he was joking. in fact, the brunette had more clingy tendencies than anyone steve had ever been with. that is, once he allowed himself to be taken care of. it was rare, but after a tough night or one too many scotches, the armored superhero turned into a needy puppy dog. and steve LOVED it that way. 

steve always had a longing to take care of people. that’s probably what made him and tony such a good pairing.

‘you caught me,’ he chuckled, ‘but i’m serious. come join me upstairs.’

‘i’m doing very important work here, cap. its crucial that i..... that i-‘ he began to trail off as he realized that steve, while the brunette was emersed in his work, has wandered over to tony’s work station and stood behind him, placing his hands on his shoulders. 

‘what are you-?’

‘shhh,’ steve said softly, and started massaging his upper back gently. tony’s muscles were constantly tense and tight from hours hunched over a desk, and steve knew he would never be able to relax with knots formed in intricate patterns throughout his body. 

the serum must have given steve a superpower for finding tony’s weak spots, at least thats the way he would put it. instantly finding the tightest areas, steve’s large hands applied to perfect amount of pressure, making circular motions with his thumbs. 

with each rotating motion, tony hunched down more and more, slipping deeper and deeper into his boyfriend’s touch. each time he exhaled he felt heavier, head feeling as if it could fall and hit the table infront of him at any given moment. but it felt way too good to even dare to move. 

when steve first started doing this early into their relationship, tony fought the urge to relax, embarassed at how tranquil steve’s simple action made him feel. little by little, he became more comfortable. steve is very proud of himself for that.

‘okay i can’t have you falling asleep on me here... let’s head upstairs?’ 

as if snapping out of a trance, tony sat up, slowly inhaling and coming back to reality. he only hummed in response, blindly reaching out for steve’s hand as he lifted himself off his metal stool.

steve caught tony’s hand in his, intertwining their fingers. the blonde lead him upstairs, occasionally rubbing his thumb against his partner’s hand. he knew tony needed the occasional reminder that someone was there, and sometimes the occasional kiss on the cheek or hand hold would just bring tony back down to earth for a moment. it became second nature to steve at this point.

————————————

‘god you’re just..... perfect.’ tony said, staring at his boyfriend as they lay in bed facing one another. he was playing with the neck of steve’s shirt, while steve was using his free hand to rub calming circles across tony’s back. 

it was honestly funny how easy it was to make steve blush. even in the dark, a slight flush appeared in his cheeks and neck. 

they never broke eye contact until one of them fell asleep. it was a slow process to get to this point, in fact the first time they ever cuddled like this tony started to cry. he felt so unworthy of the attention, so unsafe being open to someone again. though they promised never to speak of that.

steve didn’t mind, he allowed tony his time to recollect his feelings and just hugged him until he drifted to sleep from pure exhaustion: chin resting on tony’s head, tony’s face tucked into steve’s chest, steve’s other hand cradling tony’s head, their legs intertwined. 

but here they lay, nearly a year later, just taking eachother in. tony looked back and forth between each piercing blue eye, unable to pick a favorite. wanting to take in as much of steve as possible. 

steve’s hand reached out to softly play with tony’s hair, a favorite hobby of his. tony melted into his touch, as steve’s fingers threaded through the dark, fluffy mess infront of him. he lightly scratched behind his ear, and he felt the bed shift slightly, tony becoming heavier.

getting tony to fall asleep was always a victory, knowing how he is. leaning forward, steve placed a gentle kiss on his forehead, softly grazing the area with his thumb as his hand cupped tony’s face. 

now he just lay and watch him, studying the constellations of dusted freckled across his nose, longing to kiss his soft pink lips but wanting to let him sleep. steve couldnt rest until tony was peacefully asleep he cant rest knowing tony’s awake, because when tony’s awake, he tends to let his mind get the better of him. how is steve supposed to relax when he knows tony’s in pain?

but now? the tension in his forehead is gone, face still and calm. beautiful.

now steve can finally allow his eyes to close, smiling, as the image of tony’s face is the last thing he sees, the last thing he remembers, as he wants it to be every night from now on.


End file.
